General electric company stock: 2012

вторник, 3 июля 2012 г.

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

ATP World Tour Schedule

(H-hard, C-clay, G-grass)

Jan. 2-9 — Brisbane International, HO (Robin Soderling)

Jan. 3-8 — Qatar ExxonMobil Open, HO (Roger Federer)

Jan. 3-9 — Aircel Chennai Open, HO (Stanislas Wawrinka)

Jan. 9-15 — Medibank International, HO (Gilles Simon)

Jan. 10-15 — Heineken Open, HO (David Ferrer)

Jan. 17-30 — Australian Open, HO (Novak Djokovic)

Jan. 31-Feb. 6 — Movistar Open, CO (Tommy Robredo)

Jan. 31-Feb. 6 — PBZ Zagreb Indoors, HI (Ivan Dodig)

Jan. 31-Feb. 6 — SA Tennis Open, HO (Kevin Anderson)

Feb. 7-12 — Brasil Open, CO (Nicolas Almagro)

Feb. 7-13 — ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, …

Petrova takes third at Tournament of Champions

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Russia's Nadia Petrova of Russia took third place in the WTA Tournament of Champions by defeating Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 on Sunday.

Hantuchova, ranked No. 23 in the world entering the tournament, played in place of third-seeded Sabine …

Tencel announcing new image strategy

WORLD TOPICS

Top executives of Tencel Ltd., a member of the Acordis Group, visited Osaka at the end of June 2002 and held Tencel Conference 2002. Japanese "Tencel" textile manufacturers gathered and listened to lectures about "Tencel" technology and sales information. "Tencel" fiber marks the 10th year of its launch to the market this year, and new brand image of "Tencel" was made clear in this conference for the first time in the world.

Three leaders visited Osaka: Mark Lejman, Chief Executive of Tencel Ltd.; Jim Taylor, Dyeing & Finishing Manager of the Textile Product Development at Tencel Ltd.; and Steve Frankham, Regional Director-Asia at Accordis Hong Kong Ltd. …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Flyers-Penguins, Sums

Philadelphia 2 0 0_2
Pittsburgh 3 1 0_4
First Period_1, Pittsburgh, Sykora 5 (Malone, Malkin), 6:19. 2, Philadelphia, Richards 5 (Umberger, Coburn), 8:30. 3, Philadelphia, Richards 6 (Lupul, Umberger), 12:50. 4, Pittsburgh, Crosby 3 (Hossa), 14:11. 5, Pittsburgh, Malkin 7 (Whitney), 19:53. Penalty_Whitney, Pit (delay of game), 1:22.
Second Period_6, Pittsburgh, Malkin 8 (Gonchar), 4:50 (sh). Penalties_Orpik, Pit (holding), 3:35	Carter, Phi (hooking), 5:04.
Third Period_None. Penalties_Whitney, Pit …

HSBC upbeat in trading update

HSBC Holdings PLC, Europe's largest bank, said Friday that its first-quarter earnings rose from the same period a year ago as its U.S. unit posted a profit for the first time in three years.

HSBC's trading update was welcomed by the market as the progress of its U.S. business has been closely watched by analysts for any signs of ongoing weakness in the consumer finance market there.

Shares in HSBC lifted 2.8 percent to 646.10 pence ($9.47) after the report, in which the bank said that underlying pretax profits will be "comfortably ahead" of the first quarter of 2009.

Bad debts fell to their lowest level for more than two years, allowing …

Who's To Blame for Sox Slide? Take Your Pick

Congratulations, Ron Schueler! In a span of less than two years,you destroyed a young, enthusiastic and promising Sox team.

Your judgment of baseball talent and management is terrible.While you watched this team underachieve, you sat on your hands,failing to make a move. If you actually believe this team is stillin the race, you need therapy.

Maybe you will begin to get the message when the attendancedrops like a rock. Of course, the Sox marketing department will tryto keep the fans' interest with Bo Jackson updates and the countdownof Carlton Fisk's appearances to break the catching record. But I amone Sox fan who won't fall for it.

As long as Tim …

NATO repels insurgent attack in east Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO forces killed seven insurgents who tried to storm their way onto a base in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said Wednesday.

NATO said the attack was carried out late Tuesday in the city of Jalalabad by insurgents firing assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. A statement from the coalition added that NATO forces returned fire and called in an attack helicopter. It said there were no coalition casualties; there were no further details on the killed insurgents.

There has been an increase in battles between U.S.-led forces and insurgents in the past couple of weeks as Afghanistan's spring fighting season gets under way.

Gen. Ali Shah …

Student pranked by Philadelphia airport TSA worker

A college student returning to school after the winter break fell victim to a prank at Philadelphia's airport by a Transportation Security Administration worker who pretended to plant a plastic bag of white powder in her carryon luggage.

The worker is no longer employed by the TSA after the incident this month, a spokeswoman said.

Rebecca Solomon, 22, a University of Michigan student, wrote in a column for her campus newspaper that she was having her bags screened on Jan. 5 before her flight to Detroit when the employee stopped her, reached into her laptop computer bag and pulled out the plastic bag, demanding to know where she had gotten the powder.

…

Domino effect has 7 degrees of separation

AMES, Iowa Somewhere in California, there is a constructioncompany down one worker, thanks to Jerry Krause.

When Jason Sedlock took a job as an assistant basketball coachat the University of Santa Clara in October, the 24-year-old's hiringcompleted a downhill domino effect that began when Krause squeezedout Phil Jackson as coach of the Bulls last June.

Jackson was replaced by Iowa State's Tim Floyd on July 23.Floyd was replaced by Utah State's Larry Eustachy on July 28.Eustachy was replaced by Colorado State's Stew Morrill on Aug.7.Morrill was replaced by Portland State's Ritchie McKay on …

Mom blamed blackout in microwave death of baby

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California woman accused of killing her baby in a microwave initially told investigators she blacked out, but later acknowledged she lied and said she might have a split personality, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Ka Yang, 29, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of murder and assault resulting in the death of a child under the age of 8. It's not clear whether she has an attorney.

Authorities found Yang's 6-week-old daughter, Mirabelle Thao-Lo, dead in the family home in Sacramento three months before Yang's arrest Tuesday. They say the child suffered "extensive thermal injuries."

The girl was burned from …

Riotous celebrations as Spain wins first World Cup

Riotous celebrations spread across Spain on Sunday after the national football team won its first World Cup when Andres Iniesta scored an extra-time goal in a 1-0 win over the Netherlands.

An estimated 300,000 people forming a sea of red and yellow packed Madrid's downtown Paseo de Recoletos boulevard to watch the final from Johannesburg on giant TV screens and erupted at the final whistle as Spain became world and European champions.

"It had to be (Andres) Iniesta, the field marshal of Spanish football," said the 19-year-old Marcos Domenec.

The celebrations were easily the biggest ever held in living memory in Spain.

…

Matthew aces Open field

Catriona Matthew's hole-in-one at the 15th and six birdies gaveher the lead Friday at the halfway point of the Women's British Openin Sunningdale, England.

Matthew hit a 7-wood at the 215-yard hole that took a huge bounceat the front of the green and rolled in. The Scot birdied No.18,landing a 7-iron 3 feet from the pin, for a 7-under 65.

At 9 under par, she held a two-stroke lead over South Korea's MiHyun Kim (65), England's Trish Johnson (67) and Scotland's JaniceMoodie (70).

"I just got a good bounce and it popped into the hole," saidMatthew, winner of this year's Hawaiian Ladies Open. "At the time Irealized I had taken the lead, but I was not thinking that. …

Spectator hurt after fall from second deck

A male spectator fell from the second deck onto the field level seats while leaning to catch a foul ball at Rangers Ballpark during the fifth inning of Tuesday's game between the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers.

Rangers executive vice president/communications John Blake said the spectator was "able to move all his extremities and was responsive to paramedics."

Texas' Nelson Cruz fouled a ball into the first row of seats in the club level along the first-base line, and the fan attempted to catch the ball before losing his balance and tumbling about 30 feet (9 meters) onto the seats below.

Paramedics were on the scene quickly to attend to the fan, who was strapped to a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

The game was stopped for 16 minutes and several players on the field looked shaken.

Four people in the lower deck were struck when the spectator fell and were treated at the ballpark for minor injuries.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

It's about time

THE FUTURE IS NOW. TECHNOLOGY HAS COME A LONG WAY AND VARIOUS COLLABORATION TOOLS OFFER SOME ADVANTAGES IN THE WORKPLACE

While it may seem information technology tools have been around forever, some of us remember large computer centres where only a select few were allowed to talk to the mainframe and we had to wait in line to get cards punched and read by the card reader. Thankfully that is behind us and we all use technology in our day-to-day lives at work and at play. It is time to break away from talking about where we have been and what has happened and delve into the future to expose a few ideas that have the IT landscape buzzing.

Today the industry is talking about collaboration and analysts believe it to be the hottest topic out there. It is defined as "all processes wherein people work together - applying both to the work of individuals as well as larger collectives and societies. As an intrinsic aspect of human society, the term is used in many varying contexts such as science, art, education and business."

We collaborate in our work day with e-mail and audit working paper software that tracks and documents all our thinking and analysis processes, but we are only on the edge of where collaboration can take us. To make full use of collaboration, we need tools, some of which we already use at home and at the office, but collaboration tools can be defined a little broader as "collaborative software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals. Collaborative software is the basis for computer-supported cooperative work. Such software systems as mail, calendaring, chat and wiki belong in this category. It has been suggested that Metcalfe's law - the more people who use something, the more valuable it becomes - applies to such software."

E-mail We use collaborative software every day at work and home. Even though we take it for granted, this phenomenon is relatively new. Before 1995, e-mail was only used within business and it took a few years for Internet e-mail to gain corporate acceptance.

Now Internet e-mail is everywhere. Most people who buy a PC today have a few simple uses for it: go on the Web, do homework, chat using instant messaging and get e-mail. Any PC today is Internet ready; simply plug it in and you are on the Web.

So we have the mail thing whipped now; we use e-mail for most of our interactions in business, especially for communicating with peers within the organization. We have learned to use this collaboration tool quite effectively but it does have some limitations. Some of its major characteristics with regard to collaboration include advantages such as:

* everyone knows about it.

* it is easy to use,

* people from within and outside the organization can be included,

* easy to access remotely, even wirelessly using BlackBerries or Pocket PCs.

And it has disadvantages such as:

* e-mail takes up a lot of time in business,

* the risk of polluting a noninterested party's inbox with irrelevant information,

* the risk of not informing people who are an integral part of the project and who could therefore contribute to its success,

* many copies of the same information is maintained by many parties, requiring archiving resources,

* if the Internet is used, there's a risk of interception of sensitive information,

* can be used against you in court; information out of context can be damaging,

* difficult to keep track of a conversation or discussion stream in its entire context.

Chat When it comes to chat or instant messaging, we are not as far along, which is a shame as it is a tool that provides tremendous opportunities for collaboration. For example, teens and young adults use MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger to collaborate when working on school projects, keeping up with friends and family and to organize their social lives. It is not uncommon to find a student sitting at a PC working on an assignment while chatting with classmates and grandma at the same time. Talk about multitasking.

Younger people have been using collaboration tools since they first used the family PC. But when they start work, the tools are taken away, with security and productivity cited as the main obstacles to using the technology that has been so useful to them. The tools they have learned to use effectively are banned in most enterprises. True, instant messaging can expose your business to viruses or other malware and could lead to corporate information loss or disclosure if not properly controlled. But it does not mean we cannot use the tools if they are implemented securely.

Instant messaging is available for enterprise use from many sources, but most notably from Microsoft and IBM. When properly set up, they are safe and can provide staff with appropriate tools, offering the user features such as:

* presence information. If you log on to your computer, workmates know you are at your PC. The user can customize his or her presence information by indicating that he or she is Online, Busy, In a meeting, Out to lunch, Be right back or even Appear offline;

* allows for the sending of quick notes using chat;

* can be used for voice and video calls;

* allows sharing of documents, files and even desktop whiteboards and applications.

Corporate instant messaging can also control which features a user can access. We may not want employees to chat with people outside the enterprise; that can be controlled using corporate tools and policies. Chatting with people outside may be allowed, after all, being able to say hi to your child after school can be a nice feature, or we may decide this is a work tool and allow access only to people inside the enterprise. Sharing of documents is another matter. We may allow it only from within the enterprise to protect information. Most of the functionality is customizable if we use enterprise tools, but not if we use public tools such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger or Google Talk.

The debate is about why we should use this tool. After all, we have e-mail and phones. True, but they are inefficient when compared with instant messaging, and these are tools that new professionals are accustomed to. Chat sites are no longer just for kids, they are used for most CA training programs.

Wiki Again, the definition of this term is a "type of website that allows visitors to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring. The term wiki can also refer to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website or to certain specific wiki sites."

Maybe this sounds like techno-jargon, but only until you try it out. It can be useful in a work environment. You can see the most impressive wiki on the Internet by simply going to the Wikipedia at www.wikipedia.com. If you find something that you do not like or could improve upon, you can simply edit this public domain encyclopedia. Visit the site to gain an appreciation of its potential in business.

Wiki may sound nerdy until you look at two examples of implementations of this technology. The first is a wiki used by a university engineering team for a group project in its final year. The site fully documented everything that happened on the project during the year, every version, every piece of information; every discussion that made up the final report was fully documented. The beauty is that the students used the tool to do the project, not to document it. The documentation was a by-product; it is what made the final product possible. Finally, it is now possible to have documentation without creating huge amounts of additional overhead.

Another example is a demo wiki from TWiki, a GNU General Public License product. This means it is free - no licensing costs - user-supported software. It is used by such companies as Motorola, SAP, Cingular and Texas Instruments, not just by Internet types. This is not a public domain toy but a real work instrument.

At first glance, a wiki appears to be a tool mostly appropriate for large projects. But its application can be used for a wealth of things such as a quick and easy Intranet, a corporate policy repository or guidance repository. The possibilities are endless once it is delved into.

On the down side, a wiki can be a little tricky. Since everyone can contribute, you may want to control who is adding what to the site. This adds accountability to the collaborative process. Access can be controlled and tracked using authentication methods such as Active Directory.

SharePoint SharePoint is a Microsoft product that has a lot of collaboration features. It forms the basis for Microsoft's collaboration initiative. It provides presence information, document sharing and instant messaging. SharePoint has much of the functionality available in a wiki along with full integration with Microsoft Office products. This makes it easier to use. It comes in many flavours and is highly customizable, depending on the use planned for it.

A SharePoint team site can be used as an Intranet for a small company or can be created to help document and organize a specific project or client file. It can also integrate users from outside the organization, making it a collaborative tool used to share information with business partners and people within the organization.

SharePoint is also part of the Microsoft Small Business Server package. It is an affordable solution for many small businesses as well as large corporations. For example, a SharePoint site used by a small construction company could allow clients, workers, contractors and owners to share specifications, plans and other information about the project. As this site is on the Internet, all could connect to it and share information - once they were properly authenticated, of course. Every aspect of the project can be documented and available for all to see.

Blogs A blog - short for Web log - is defined as a "website where entries are made in journal style displayed in reverse chronological order." Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Why would this be needed for business?

A blog can be a strong communication tool as everyone can share thoughts and ideas. It is a great replacement for meetings as people can contribute when they have time or ideas. Regardless of the location of participants, their participation and ideas are welcome and easy to add. Another bonus is that the decision is automatically documented in the blog. Everyone is aware of the thought process that backs up the corporate position. It is an easy way to document and allows for the tracking of the collective intelligence of the group.

Most blogging software allows for commenting or interaction on the content. This informal commenting process gives everyone in the organization the opportunity to comment on or add to the contents and give their opinions.

Blogging software is available from many sources, ranging from commercial product to open source. A summary of the types of blogs that are most relevant for business (taken from www.beginnersguide. com) include:

"Business blogs: exist for the sole purpose of selling products or services. A business blog is a promotional marketing tool, though it is usually well designed and packed with helpful content, so as not to appear completely commercial.

Organizational blogs: are similar to personal blogs, except the content represents an organization, rather than an individual. [They] can be internal [within a large company) or external [communicating with clients or interested parties]. Organization blogs are a common way for not-for-profit groups to communicate their message to the general public."

Modern Web browsers incorporate Really Simple Syndication feeds that can monitor blogs and alert users to activity on the blog without the need to visit a specific URL. This makes blogs a very powerful and time-sensitive solution for information sharing.

The future is now While these technologies are not new, they may be new to the workplace. Productivity gains can be high if we start using the tools familiar to new recruits. Most of these tools appeared on the Internet and require the Internet or corporate network to make them accessible to all. They require little training, are Web-based and require little infrastructure and several are open source, making them cost effective. The investment required is the time to review how they apply to an organization and how to implement them.

These tools come with issues however. security needs to be at the forefront of the implementation of most of these technologies. For example, an instant-messaging installation that is wide open with no restrictions can be a disaster waiting to happen in an organization. It can be a portal from which information leaves the organization or a tremendous time waster if you have overly active socialites.

We should not be afraid of staff wasting their time chatting. Instant messaging is no different from phones, e-mail or Internet access. Professionals need tools to work, and professionals use the tools responsibly when they understand the rules.

[Author Affiliation]

Yves Godbout, CA-IT, CA-CISA, is the director of IT services with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. He has extensive experience in information technologies as they apply to the enterprise and in audit. He is chair of the CICA Alliance for Excellence in Information Technology. Godbout is also Technical editor for technology

Catholics must follow the dictates of Rome

As the name implies, Roman Catholics already have a bishop towhom we can look for the resolution of conflicts in faith, morals andliturgy. It is not the archbishop of Chicago.

The ancient saying, "Rome has spoken, the matter is finished,"cannot be revised to, "Rome has spoken, let us have a forum," withoutthereby abandoning our Roman Catholic identity.

If Joseph Cardinal Bernardin wants to promote unity, he can dono better than to point to every Roman decree on the matters at issueand see to it that they are implemented. That would make him a greatChicago bishop, like Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb. Lee Gilbert, Lisle Is the kids' milk money next?

Last year more than $500 billion was spent in the United Stateson legal gambling. That is a lot of money. I keep wondering whereit all comes from. Yes, we know it comes out of the pockets of themany and into the pockets of the few already rich gamblingestablishment owners. But where do all those thousands of gamblersget the $500 billion to gamble?

I wonder if a large share is coming from credit cards, whicheasily access cash through ATM machines at riverboats and othergambling facilities. Credit card debt levels have surged to anaverage of $3,900 per cardholder.

Even lottery tickets can be purchased by telephone creditarrangement. State and local governments seem intent on making iteasy for people to gamble - even to gamble money they don't have. Beth Paschall, Palos Heights Mitchell, Muwakkil: vital voices

Mary Mitchell's Sunday column is right on. I was on the brinkof canceling my subscription to the Sun-Times until her column savedthe day. Mitchell's ethnic topics and style are captivating,enlightening, educational and profound.

Columns like Salim Muwakkil's and Mitchell's are excellentalternatives to the often sugar-coated, biased quasi-journalismnon-Europeans have endured. Keep it coming. Lawrence Smith, West Pullman We take plastic; you pay the fee

I agree that government agencies should accept fees, fines andother charges by credit card. However, I don't think the transactionfee should be included in the amount collected, as suggested in arecent Sun-Times editorial. I think it should be added on.

The Clerks of Court in Illinois are authorized to take creditcards and are required to add on the transaction fee, but Visa andMasterCard have refused to enter into contracts with "add-on." In myoffice alone, I would have to budget about $2.5 million of propertytax money to pay for the convenience of credit card users.

Government agencies are not ordinary retail merchants. We can'tinflate prices to cover the transaction fees. Our fees are set bystatute or rule.

It would be fairer to add the transaction costs to the amountpaid by the user for the convenience. Aurelia Pucinski, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County An explosive fashion statement

I found the recent news story about "lowrider" automobiles veryinformative. Particularly intriguing was one lowrider owner whosecar is "so low to the ground that steel plates scrape the street,spraying a shower of sparks."

One can visualize this resulting in several unnecessaryscenarios: further damaging streets already riddled with potholes;or, worse yet, much greater sparks emanating from a gas tankexplosion.

Now, wouldn't that look cool? Tim Shockley, Hermosa

Nunn gears up for '92 run

Prospects improved that Sen. Sam Nunn, the moderate GeorgiaDemocrat, will run for president in 1992 with private word that hewill resign from the exclusive Burning Tree Golf Club to avoid thepolitical albatross of membership in a club that admits no women asmembers or even guests.

Nunn, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, since1979 has enjoyed a special "resident guest" membership at BurningTree, a category reserved for influential political figures.

Nunn's decision coincides with his tip to Senate intimates thathe will announce his presidential decision two weeks after thisfall's election, where he is running unopposed for a fourth Senateterm. One problem: the possible candidacy of Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, whoran a highly creditable 1988 vice presidential race. Bentsen andNunn could split non-liberal Democratic ranks and help nominate aliberal. Baltic brush-off

After first refusing to even discuss Tunne Kellem's visit toWashington with the Estonian independence leader's emissaries,President Bush's national security staff finally gave an answer justbefore Kellem's arrival here Friday: no contact with Kellem eventhough Mikhail Gorbachev is rattling his scabbard against the smallBaltic state.

Kellem's representatives tried for two weeks before his arrivalto set up an appointment with a low-ranking official on the staff ofNational Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft. The answer finally cameback: Sorry, but no time. During Kellem's visit, Secretary of StateJames A. Baker III was busy negotiating new agreements with SovietForeign Minister Eduard Shevardadze.

A footnote: Canada is following the U.S. example. Kellem'sscheduled meetings with officials in Ottawa were canceled this pastweek (at the same time that one of Lithuania President VytautasLandbergis' deputies was stiffed there in trying to call onofficials). GOP undercutting

Supporters of South Dakota's Sen. Larry Pressler are furiousthat he is being undercut by White House rumors and could cause theRepublicans to lose a seat badly needed if they are to regain controlof the Senate by 1992.

Word is that White House Chief of Staff John Sununu is low onPressler, reflecting the opinion of President Bush himself. Presslernever has been highly thought of in the Bush camp since his supportfor Sen. Robert Dole helped Bush lose the 1988 South Dakota primary. Warning to El Salvador

The entire House Republican leadership has written El Salvador'sPresident Alfredo Cristiani that if Col. Guillermo Benavides is not"aggressively" prosecuted for the murders of Catholic priests, U.S.military aid may end.

"Failing to aggressively prosecute Benavides, in spite of theoverwhelming . . . evidence against him, will significantlystrengthen" liberal opponents in the House who want to terminate U.S.military aid, the 36 GOP congressmen warned Cristiani.

They said they were "troubled" by reports that Benavides mightbe released before trial for the murders last November.

Evans & Novak are nationally syndicated columnists of theChicago Sun-Times.

'Bones' yanked to the UK

Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are stuck in a Mini Cooper, just steps from where East meets West.

The little red car has just been in an "accident" and is facing oncoming traffic near the Greenwich Royal Observatory, the location on the bank of the Thames River from where all times zones are measured.

The stars of "Bones" have come to England to film the premiere episode of the Fox drama's fourth season, and they've brought all their characters' emotional baggage with them.

So inevitably, Deschanel's Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and Boreanaz's Special Agent Seeley Booth are not just arguing about how to drive on the left side of the road, but also about how they feel about each other.

"She says I'm not an adaptable character," says Boreanaz, explaining that one of the themes running through the double episode is Booth "fighting to become part of the system here in England _ the traditions and what not _ though as the show progresses, he slowly starts to understand them and embraces them."

"Booth at first hates it, but then he kind of turns around. I don't have as strong feelings either way. I kind of adapt. I start using British words, stuff like calling trucks 'lorries,'" says Deschanel, explaining that Brennan, a more sophisticated world traveler, has an easier time of it working overseas.

In the season premiere, "Yanks in the UK," which airs Sept. 3 in the United States, the forensic anthropologist and the FBI agent initially come to England to link up with their British peers. Brennan is invited to give a lecture at Oxford. Booth is talking to detectives at Scotland Yard.

During their visit, an heiress is found dead and her American father wants U.S. experts involved in investigating the crime. So the disparate duo get to work. That work rubs them up against British counterparts, not just on the job but also in situations that might spark romance.

This could clearly complicate their unresolved feelings about each other, which so far haven't progressed beyond the under-the-mistletoe kiss exchanged in last season's Christmas episode.

However, this season it's rumored there will be much more intimate contact.

During their scene in the Mini, Brennan tells Booth he should be happy that she "didn't sleep" with Ian Wexler (Andrew Buchan), a British forensic anthropologist. Clearly upset, Booth tells Brennan she's special, then crashes the car while trying to avoid a double-decker bus.

"That's when our show is the best, when people have to reveal their feelings in some way. But we never get sentimental," says Deschanel, as she waits on the pavement for the scene to continue filming.

Although "Bones" is often considered a procedural crime drama, Boreanaz stresses the attraction for him has always been the "Hepburn and Tracy kind of thing _ the witty, stylish, fond but confrontational relationship of Brennan and Booth.

"I think going into season four, this should be the mark of what our show is. You put these two characters in a misplaced environment. That's where they operate best. That's what brings out the best in their relationship," he explains.

The idea of filming for 12 days in England was a fairly spontaneous one, following a suggestion made by executive producer-creator Hart Hanson. His idea tied in with Fox's desire to fully re-engage audience interest after the impact of the Screen Writers' strike on last season's schedule.

The overseas location provides all sorts of backdrops not available on the Fox Studio lot in Los Angeles or nearby L.A. locations _ the usual filming venue for the series, which is normally set in Washington, D.C.

"We are getting very good production value. We've shot in places you can't believe. We shot in front of the Bank of England. We are going to shoot right near Tower Bridge. I thought it would be just a distant thing, but it's this close," enthuses Hanson, as he touches the facade of a Baroque building.

On this sunny day _ good weather not being something cast and crew had expected _ Greenwich is providing several excellent backdrops, including the Painted Hall of the Greenwich Royal Naval College, which is standing in for the interior of the Oxford College hall where Brennan lectures.

The scenes with the Mini completed, the stars move to a sentry booth, set up against railings in front of a courtyard. It's a convincing substitute for the exterior of Buckingham Palace. They are joined by guest star Indira Varma, the British actress who plays Inspector Cate Pritchard, a Scotland Yard cohort definitely lovely enough to stir Booth's interest in more than just British crime-solving techniques.

"I think one of the best parts has been working with the actors here _ the talent pool is gigantic," says Boreanaz.

____

On the Net:

http://www.fox.com

Family suing cops over alleged beating

Members of a Chicago family that includes an 11-year-old girl saidthey were beaten by Chicago Police officers and called racial slursafter a traffic stop last year.

Anton Johnson, his mother, Welsie Johnson, sisters Angela andSabrina Johnson, and his girlfriend, Shawntavia Brazil, filed alawsuit Tuesday against the Chicago Police Department and eightofficers they claim abused them.

Attorney Scott Kummer said all of them, including 11-year-oldSabrina, were arrested for disorderly conduct after the August 2005incident near their home in the 4000 block of 21st Street.

ALL RELATIVES MAY FACE CHARGES

It began, the lawsuit says, when police pulled over a car AntonJohnson was riding in, to investigate if it was stolen.

He was released, but argued with officers over the way they hadtreated him at the time he was stopped.

Words were exchanged, the suit says, and Johnson was beaten andcuffed. His family then intervened and they, too, were beaten andcalled names, according to the lawsuit.

Criminal charges are pending against all the relatives.

A police spokeswoman said officials haven't seen the complaint andcan't comment pending an investigation.

spatterson@suntimes.com

WORLD at 0400GMT

NEW THIS DIGEST:

COMOROS. Blasts, gunfire resound on Comoros island after invasion threat.

PALESTINIANS-NO UNITY. alestinian unity talks unravel, exposing disarray in Abbas government.

US-MCCAIN-IRAQ. McCain says US succeeding in Iraq as American death toll hits 4,000.

ITALY-MUSLIM CONVERT. Muslim journalist who renounced Islam for baptism supports Israel.

VENEZUELA-CHAVEZ-OIL. Venezuela's Chavez celebrates legal victory over Exxon Mobil Corp.

JAPAN-TOYOTA MALL. Toyota develops new shopping mall to woo Japanese consumers.

US-BEAR STEARNS. JPMorgan Chase raises offer for Bear Stearns to $10

Wednesday's Sports Scoreboard

American League

Kansas City 9, Cleveland 0 F

Seattle 4, Baltimore 1 F

Tampa Bay 9, L.A. Angels 5 F

Boston 6, N.Y. Yankees 5 F

Toronto vs Texas ppd,

Detroit 2, Chicago White Sox 1 F

Minnesota 6, Oakland 3 F

National League

Cincinnati 4, Washington 2 F 12 Innings

Philadelphia 5, N.Y. Mets 4 F 11 Innings

Pittsburgh 3, Atlanta 2 F

St. Louis 13, Florida 4 F

Houston 2, Chicago Cubs 1 F

Colorado 4, Milwaukee 2 F

San Francisco 6, Arizona 4 F

San Diego 3, L.A. Dodgers 1 F

National Basketball Association Playoffs

No games today.

National Hockey League Playoffs

No games today.

WNBA Basketball

Washington 75, Detroit 69 F

Minnesota 87, Los Angeles 76 F

Phoenix 91, New York 84 F

Major League Soccer

Houston 1, Chivas USA 0 F

Plane Crashes in South Thailand; 66 Dead

BANGKOK, Thailand - A passenger plane filled with foreign tourists crashed Sunday as it tried to land in heavy rain on the island of Phuket, splitting in two as it was engulfed in flames, officials said. At least 66 people were killed.

The budget One-To-Go Airlines was carrying 123 passengers and five crew members on a domestic flight from the Thai capital of Bangkok to Phuket, one of the country's major tourist destinations, according to the Thai television station TITV.

"I saw passengers engulfed in fire as I stepped over them on way out of the plane," Parinwit Chusaeng, a survivor who suffered minor burns, told the Nation television channel. "I was afraid that the airplane was going to explode so I ran away."

Phuket's Deputy Governor Worapot Ratthaseema told The Associated Press that at least 66 bodies were laid out in the airport building.

"At least 66 people have been confirmed and 42 have been hospitalized," Worapot said, adding the remaining passengers are missing and presumed to be still inside the wreckage.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A passenger plane filled with foreign tourists crashed Sunday as it tried to land in heavy rain on the island of Phuket, splitting in two as it was engulfed in flames, officials said. At least 60 people were killed.

Phuket's Deputy Governor Worapot Ratthaseema told The Associated Press that at least 60 bodies were laid out in the airport building.

"At least 60 people have been confirmed and 43 have been hospitalized," Worapot said, adding the remaining passengers are missing and presumed to be still inside the wreckage.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

Activists lobby council for parent coordinators

At a public hearing, last Thursday, parents and school children advocated for full-time family and community outreach managers in each of the system's 144 schools

The parents came to City Hall in support of the Boston Parent Organizing Network, a group that represents over 30 community organizations, which is pushing for a budget allocation that would fully fund these mangers/coordinators.

According to BPON, the managers would be responsible for increasing parental involvement with their children's education by reducing the difficulty that many parents have in navigating the school system. The main concerns cited by BPON members, are bilingual communication and the difficulty working parents face in getting involved with their children's school.

"There is not good communication between the schools and parents," said Maria Gomez, the parent of a public school student and a member of City Life's Jamaica Plain Parent Organizing Project, through an interpreter at an earlier press conference. "The coordinator position would be a healthy addition to the school environment and for parents."

Gomez added that students sometimes have to play the role of interpreter between teacher and parent and that this allows for incomplete interpretation and places the student in an awkward position. She also said that many parents don't get the information they need about after school activities and summer programs due to language barriers.

The proposed 2005-06 budget already includes a 'place holder' -- at the request of the Boston School Committee -- for $895,000 in Title 1 grant money from the federal government that would be used to fund part-time managers in 35 schools. However, BPON is lobbying for full funding over a three-year period to phase in the new full-time positions. A recent BPON press release says that the total cost of the three-year plan is $7.8 million and that this represents only one percent of the school budget.

"There needs to be a concrete commitment," BPON's director, Caprice Taylor Mendez told the Banner in a later interview. "Schools cannot do it alone without the parents."

While none of the city councilors disagreed that increased parental involvement with the schools is positive, several expressed reservations about the funding commitment.

"There is not an unlimited pool of money coming in," said Councilor John Tobin, chairman of the Education Committee. "Schools get stronger with parental involvement but we need questions answered with $7 to $8 million at stake."

In response, Councilor Chuck Turner said that this is one of the most important issues in his six years on the council and that if the school system can spend money on coaching teachers to be better teachers then "we can certainly spend this on parents."

"To understand diversity in Boston schools you must understand the complexities that parents face," said Turner. "Think of their age and economic situation."

Councilor Maureen Feeney worried that another layer of bureaucracy was being added to the school system and pointed out that BPS is already 30 percent over budget. Councilor Mike Ross expressed concern that the effort would fizzle out and suggested that there are plenty of nonprofits in the city that could fill the role. But Councilor Felix Arroyo indicated that the need outweighed the costs.

"Anything that is worthy of being done costs money, a budget is a reflection of the priorities of the community," said Arroyo, the next day in an interview with the Banner.

Tobin is concerned that the Title 1 monies could disappear and the city would be left with a large funding commitment. He said that the program should remain a pilot program with clear goals and a process of evaluation at the end of its first year, possibly with a sunset provision.

BPON members, however, think that it is critical to get the project funded for the full three years. They point to successes in the New York City school system with a similar program and to the fact that Thomas Payzant, BPS superintendent, has made family and community engagement one of the "six essentials" in his five year whole school improvement plan.

"We are concerned with the state of affairs in the BPS, particularly with the low test scores, high drop out rates and lack of state funding, particularly in the Latino community where the statistics are abysmal compared to white students," said Ayele Shakur, representing the Black Ministerial Alliance. "The coordinators would really build the capacity of the schools to reach out and engage parents. These coordinators could help build a strong parent constituency to get more resources to the schools."

Tobin said that the feedback he was getting from some principals indicated that they would rather have the money to spend on more teaching staff or other areas that have been cut in recent years.

But Arroyo said that it doesn't make sense to frame the argument as either the managers or more discretionary money.

"When you frame it so that you have to cut off one hand to feed the other, it doesn't make sense to me," said Arroyo. "If our children are important then our money is a part of it."

The City Council has only begun the five-week-plus process of examining the budget put to them from the mayor's office. School administrators at the hearing told the council that they will return in May with more detailed information about the proposed program.

"We are always hearing about 'no child left behind' and a lot of children are being left behind," commented Gomez.

Article copyright The Bay State Banner.

Photograph (Maria Roja, Gloribal Mota, Wendy Kelly)

Swiss banks wary of German spies leaking secret customer data

Germans will face extra scrutiny when applying for jobs with Swiss banks because of espionage concerns, one of Switzerland's leading bankers told local media on Tuesday.

Michel Derobert, head of the Swiss private bankers' association, said methods used by Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, to obtain secret banking data from Liechtenstein were "reprehensible" and would lead to extra precautions in Switzerland to protect client privacy.

Switzerland, like its tiny neighbor Liechtenstein, fiercely protects the privacy of banking customers, including foreigners who have deposited more than 1 trillion Swiss francs (US$950 billion; euro640 billion) in its vaults.

Germany's recent purchase of confidential client data belonging to a Liechtenstein bank will discourage financial institutions in Switzerland from employing Germans, Derobert told Swiss daily Le Matin.

Berlin has said the BND paid an informant as much as euro5 million (US$7.3 million) for a list with the names of account holders of a Liechtenstein bank.

The information led to a series of high-profile raids against individuals and businesses in Germany suspected of tax evasion, but also a sharp reaction from Liechtenstein's ruling prince and criticism from leading Swiss politicians and businessmen.

Pierre Mirabaud, the head of the Swiss bankers' association, compared the BND's tactics last week to those of Nazi Germany's secret police. He later retracted his claim that Germany was using "Gestapo" methods.

Thousands of Germans work in Switzerland's rich financial industry, which has caused some friction in the prosperous nation of 7.6 million.

1 dead in Turkey explosion in Mediterranean town

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A bomb blast in a Mediterranean town in southern Turkey killed one person and wounded two others on Friday, officials said.

Dogan news agency said the bombing in the town of Kemer was carried out by a sucide bomber targeting a paramilitary police station. The suspected bomber detonated the explosives near a sentry box after failing to reach the station, the agency said.

The explosion damaged several cars and smashed windows of nearby buildings, it said.

The blast came 10 days after a car bombing near a school in the capital, Ankara, killed three people and wounded 34 others. A Kurdish militant group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons or TAK, claimed responsibility for the car bombing and threatened more attacks in retaliation to what it called the government's "war" against the rebels.

The same group had also claimed a small bombing in Kemer on Aug. 28 that wounded 10 people, including four Swedish nationals. A suicide bombing, also claimed by the Falcons, had left 32 people wounded in Istanbul in November 2010.

Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey, killing dozens of security force members and at least 14 civilians since July. They have also abducted state employees, including 12 teachers.

The rebels intensified their attacks after accusing the government of not responding to their demands, including autonomy and education in the Kurdish language — which Turkey fears could divide the country along ethnic lines.

In a nationwide crackdown on alleged Kurdish rebel sympathizers, police have detained hundreds of supporters of a pro-Kurdish party as Turkish warplanes have bombed Kurdish rebel bases in neighboring northern Iraq.

In latest reported violence in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast, the rebels killed two soldiers in an ambush in Sirnak province late Thursday, the Interior Ministry said Friday. Three rebels were killed in an ensuing clash, it said. After the attack, the military declared several hilly areas along the Iraqi border off limits to civilians.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since 1984.

___

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Vet groups: Definition of combat is outdated

A World War II-era law established that veterans who "engaged in combat with the enemy" receive special treatment when they seek disability compensation, making it less burdensome for them to prove the injury was from their time in the service.

But members of veterans groups testified Tuesday that the law is outdated, and some veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to obtain disability benefits because they don't meet the definition.

There is particular concern, they said, that the rule interferes with disability benefits for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder whose trauma may not be documented by the military. PTSD can affect people who experience a traumatic event. Symptoms can include flashbacks and anxiety.

At his news conference Tuesday night, President Barack Obama acknowledged that returning veterans haven't always been given the benefits and treatment they need for post-traumatic stress and serious brain injuries.

"Unfortunately, over the last several years, all too often the VA has been under-resourced when it comes to dealing with things like post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, dealing with some of the backlogs in admission to VA. hospitals," Obama said, in response to a question about spending in defense and veterans programs.

The mental disorder has affected service members in non-infantry roles such as truck drivers or cooks, who on today's battlefields are vulnerable to roadside bombs or mortar attacks. They often lack a combat infantry badge or other documentation to prove their battlefield experience.

The Veterans Affairs Department has said about half of all disability claims for PTSD are approved, and the majority of denials come because the veteran lacks evidence of injury related to his time in the service, according to a report last year from the Congressional Budget Office.

Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee, which held Tuesday's hearing, said the law should be updated to define a combat veteran as any veteran who served in a combat theater of operations or in combat against a hostile force.

"There should be a better way for VA to assist veterans suffering from PTSD to adjudicate those claims without being burdensome, stressful and adversarial," Hall said.

It's estimated that if the law is changed, thousands more veterans would seek disability compensation for PTSD, potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Bradley Mayas, director of the Veterans Benefits Administration's Compensation and Pension Service, told the subcommittee that changes have been made to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to qualify for disability compensation.

Antoinette Zees, deputy chief officer for mental health services at the Veterans Health Administration, noted that the VA provides health care for five years for the recent veterans, so some veterans are getting treatment for PTSD even if they are not receiving disability benefits for it.

___

On the Net:

Veterans Affairs Department: http://www.va.gov/

Ebert on the mend, eager to get back to the movies

Hospitalized Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert hasreleased more information about his cancer treatment.

His surgery June 16 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to remove acancerous growth on his salivary gland was followed by emergencysurgery July 1 to repair a burst blood vessel.

The rupture was caused by a breakdown of tissue near the burstartery as a result of radiation treatments three years ago.

"I had a particularly intense form of radiation called neutronbeam radiation, which is more effective for certain cancers, butwhich is also more debilitating to healthy tissue than conventionalradiation," Ebert said.

Efforts to protect the arteries have kept him in the hospital, hesaid.

Ebert said he has started work to strengthen his vocal cords andhas been using a tracheostomy collar to keep his airways open duringsurgeries for the ruptured blood vessels.

"This is a unique situation, and the doctors are movingcautiously, but they are enthusiastically optimistic about myrecovery," he said.

Ebert thanked his fans for their good wishes and said: "I don'thave a crystal ball, so I can't tell you when, but I sure lookforward to being back on the movie beat."

Ebert is co-host of television's "Ebert & Roeper" with Sun-Timescolumnist Richard Roeper.

вторник, 3 июля 2012 г.

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

вторник, 3 июля 2012 г.

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.